Many years ago, when my children were younger in age and fewer in number, I remember a dear friend (and mother of ten) telling me about how she met the needs of her older children while balancing life as a mother to very young children. Because when you have many children, at a certain point you find yourself with two very different age groups at the same time. The littlest children have a way of making sure their needs are met - they are very demanding and dependant, and parents of the very young will find they are on their mind most of the time. We naturally gravitate to our littles, sensing their immense need and making ourselves available. But older children are a different bunch. As they grow and become more independent, we see them less. We tend to them less, because they are doing more for themselves. They don't open up as easily, even when we ask them about their lives, and it can be difficult knowing when to push, and when to allow the freedom and space to open up in their own time.
